Instead, I learned it was possible, no matter the conditions, to interrupt the emotion enveloping me and examine the evidence behind my train of thought. Not to immediately transfer my feelings from negative back to positive but to accept them— much like riding a wave by floating on your back. Without fighting the current of life’s challenges, I was able to attune to the reality of my present circumstances. With that presence of mind, I could accept ‘life on life’s terms’ without turning to a mood or mind-altering substance in order to cope.

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